“I’m thinking you’re a ‘stupid boy’ and you should kiss me,” Zoe said.
Sometimes she was right.
◊◊◊
Chapter 33 – Big Cat Thursday August 11
Zoe had slipped out during the night. Her declaration that she planned to be my girlfriend had me deep in thought as I rode the elevator down for breakfast. When I reached the lobby, my dad was waiting for me.
“How’s the girlfriend hunt going?”
I showed him my best put-out teenager expression and ignored his barb. I guess it was too much for Tami not to tell my mom. What surprised me was Mom thought it necessary to clue my dad in. I was sure that Uncle John would want to ‘sit down and talk about it.’
“Come on, we need to talk football,” Dad said to change the topic.
That instantly put me in a better mood. We entered the nice restaurant, and I found Dad had gotten us a big table. I figured that Wolf and Tim would want to talk about this. As soon as we sat down, people began to join us. When the table was finally filled, Tim, Wolf, Uncle John, Caryn, Mom, and Tracy had all taken seats.
“We’ve made an executive decision,” Caryn said. “Your dad will take over your recruiting. Kent wasn’t suited for it, and it was agreed it was too big a decision to leave to someone new. Megan will field the phone calls and sort through them with Tracy’s help. The important ones will be given to your dad to call back.”
All I could think was I was glad it wasn’t me that had to hold the recruiting phone. At least Megan was being paid to put up with the abuse. Mom saw I was hungry and let us order breakfast because she was afraid I ‘wouldn’t listen.’ Wolf and Tim seemed happy with her decision.
While we ate, Wolf and Tim told us about Chicago.
“It was rough at first,” Wolf admitted. “We started out doing all the grunt work. Jack wanted to make sure we appreciated the laborers he hires to pick up and fetch things for the skilled craftsmen. We got to spend a couple weeks helping someone with each of the trades. I found out I never want to blow in insulation again.”
“It had to be two hundred degrees in that attic, and that stuff found its way in everywhere,” Tim complained.
“The last few weeks, we were in the office and learned about scheduling, ordering materials, bookkeeping, and creating bids. There’s a lot more to running a company than I ever realized. I can see where getting a business degree will be a must if I want to ever run my own contracting business. I don’t understand how you do it,” Wolf said.
“If it weren’t for Caryn and my family, I wouldn’t have a clue. I plan to take some business classes so I understand what Caryn tells me,” I confessed.
It sounded like they both worked hard and had confirmed they were on the right track, career-wise. They also got a chance to explore Chicago. From what they shared, I’d missed out on a lot of fun. Tim had bought a truck there. He got a used Ford F-150 that was painted sterling gray. I had to smile when he had almost thirty pictures on his phone. Someone was a proud owner.
After breakfast, we got down to business.
“We’ve talked about your top schools and how you wanted to consider the best of the Power 5 conferences. I wanted to talk to you about the one Independent you may be considering and suggest an alternative,” Dad said.
“Notre Dame?” Tim asked.
“Yes. I realize David took Notre Dame off his list because they pulled their offer after the rape allegations. But I also realize that both Wolf and Tim are interested in Notre Dame, so it may be back on the table,” Dad informed me.
“David’s stated goal is to play for a National Championship. To get there, he has six routes: one of the schools from a Power 5 conference, or an Independent. It would take a miracle for a smaller-conference school to make it to the final four teams. Frankly, two of the Power 5 conferences have a leg up on the other three: the ACC and the SEC. Those two are almost guaranteed to have a team in the Championship Series. The odd man out seems to be the PAC-12,” Dad explained.
I was impressed that Dad had done his homework.
“Getting back to Notre Dame,” Dad said. “I think they and Texas are two of the most overrated teams in the nation. Their ranking is based on history, and people just assume they’ll be good. What I would like to suggest is that you bypass Notre Dame and check out Wisconsin.”
“Seriously?” Wolf asked.
“The Irish get loads more pub than Wisconsin. But in the last 25 years, the Badgers have won 221 games including 13 bowls, while the Irish have won 194 games and six bowls. You tell me which tradition matters most: Rockne-Leahy-Parseghian or the last quarter-century?” Dad asked.
My uncle had a big grin on his face. I was sure he was the one who came up with the stats.
“Why Wisconsin?” I asked.
“They’re in the Big Ten West. Their stiffest competition is Iowa and Nebraska, neither of whom seems ready to challenge them. All Wisconsin has to do is win the Big Ten Championship Game, and they’re in the National Championship hunt. The Big Ten East has Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, and Penn State beating each other’s brains out,” Dad said.
“That, and I bet your dad that Notre Dame wouldn’t even have a .500 season this year. I’d also be willing to bet they’ll have a new football coach. How long has it been since they had a top guy at the helm?” Uncle John asked.
I just rolled my eyes at him. He was always making cracks about Notre Dame.
“Here’s a list of the schools you said you wanted to visit,” Caryn said, handing everyone a sheet of paper.
ACC
Clemson
Florida State
Big Ten
Michigan
Ohio State
Wisconsin
Big Twelve
Oklahoma
Texas
PAC 12
Stanford
USC
SEC
Alabama
Florida
Official Visits
Oklahoma – September 17
Clemson – October 1
USC – October 8
Alabama – October 22
Florida State – October 29
“Why these teams for official visits?” I asked.
“Cost. We figured that you could drive to Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin,” Caryn informed me.
“What do you guys think of the list?” I asked, looking at Wolf and Tim.
“I’d play at any of those schools,” Tim said. “Though I’m not sure that Stanford would take me because I don’t have those kinds of grades.”
“My only concern is, will they offer Tim and me?” Wolf asked.
I realized he needed a scholarship to play. I’d make sure he got one.
“Any of them could use a tight end with your skills, in my opinion,” I said.
He just shrugged.
“Anyone I missed?” Caryn asked.
“I’m not sold on Florida or Texas. I’m not sure I would want to spend money on a visit. Neither of them would be toward the top of my list,” Wolf said.
“I agree. I like the rest of the schools, though. There aren’t any others I’d add,” Tim said.
“I think that’s a good list,” I countered.
“Seriously? Texas is a lot like Notre Dame. They’re just running on what they did years ago,” Uncle John said.
“I’d want to see Florida turn things around,” Tim added.
“It is a lot of trips,” I admitted. “Let’s take Florida and Texas off the board for now. If something changes, we can always add them back.”